Overview
- Austin Dirks, 33, became stuck knee- to thigh-deep in Courthouse Wash on Dec. 7 during a 20-mile backpacking trip.
- He triggered a satellite messenger that alerted Grand County Search and Rescue, which used a drone to pinpoint his location in the shaded canyon.
- Rescuers reached him in roughly two hours in temperatures near 21°F and freed him using a ladder and vehicle traction boards after shoveling failed.
- Warming packs and a heated blanket restored feeling to his leg, and he walked out under his own power without serious injury.
- Officials noted that quicksand typically prevents full submersion due to buoyancy and cited a similar rescue in the same canyon in 2014.